We've all heard about "character arcs." We know they're important. We know they have to do with a character's journey through the story. But what does that actually MEAN? "Character arcs" is a very common writing term—but it's usually never fully explained in easily understandable language that writers can use [...]
This post was written by our friend Lewis Jorstad, an author and developmental editor who helps up-and-coming writers hone their writing craft over at The Novel Smithy. You can find him on Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. When he isn’t working on the next book in his Writer’s Craft series, you [...]
Imagine reading a story where the protagonist doesn’t want anything, doesn’t care about anything, and you have no idea what motivates them. That’s probably a book you’re going to put down pretty quickly. Why? Because you aren’t engaged in that story! As we read, we want to cheer for [...]
Stories are about change—specifically, they are about how characters change. Characters are the heart and soul of any story, which means that we should develop the story around them—starting with your protagonist. Readers engage in good stories when they know what the protagonist wants and why it matters to them. They [...]
Stories are about change. Specifically, stories are about how characters change. We love stories so much because we are able to see ourselves in the main character, and we learn as they learn. You’ve probably spent a lot of time working on your main character—the protagonist whose journey of change the [...]
Building secondary characters is incredibly fun. Who doesn’t love dreaming up a romantic interest? Brainstorming unique characteristics for a mentor? Crafting the sass of the sidekick and best friend? We love plucking quirky, vibrant people from the recesses of our minds—but simply crafting interesting people isn’t enough. Secondary characters are [...]
As much as we think we do, we don’t actually read action scenes for the action. We don’t read romance for the kissing scenes. We’re not sucked into stories because we want to know what crazy stuff will happen in the plot. Rather, we’re glued to the pages of stories when [...]
Readers love characters who are complicated, passionate, and flawed—just like we are. We enjoy seeking as they seek, learning as they learn. As writers, we want to provide this experience for our readers, but oftentimes we can chafe against making our characters truly bad. We don’t want to sink our [...]
This post/page contains affiliate links. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. Golden May will only ever recommend products or services that we fully stand behind! Thanks for your support. Good characters have agency. Agency is the drive and capacity to make choices. [...]
Great scenes build an exhilarating push and pull between a story’s plot and characters. Plot events drive characters to make choices, and their choices in turn shape future plot events. This wave of tension locks in readers, compelling them to read chapter after chapter. With the 15 key elements in this guide, you can claim this page-turning power as your own! We’ve included two analyzed, annotated scenes to show you how it all works.
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